Sophia Again Tops Name Charts for Girls, Baby Site Finds

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Expect more bouncing-baby Sophias on birth announcements in the
near future. This girl's name is topping a major list of
baby-name rankings for the fifth year in a row.

Sophia led as the most popular girl's name among users of the
pregnancy and parenting website BabyCenter in 2014, while
Jackson reigned among boys.

The list is not scientific, nor as comprehensive as the U.S.
Social Security database name ranking, which is released
every year in the spring. But with more than 400,000 respondents,
BabyCenter's list often predicts trends later revealed on the
national list. [ Sophia's
Secret: The 10 Most Popular Baby Names ]

"This year's list shows Jackson has staying power and is not a
one-hit wonder, and Sophia is arguably the Jennifer of its
generation with five consecutive number one spots. It’s clearly
entered the baby name hall of fame," Linda Murray, BabyCenter
Global editor-in-chief,
said in a statement.

Hot monikers

Sophia's top-dog role is no surprise; the name was the most
popular listed by the Social Security Administration in 2013, and
has been one of the top 10 names for girls since 2006.

Jackson was the 16th-most popular boy name of 2013, according to
Social Security data. BabyCenter moms
apparently embrace the name even more closely, making it the most
popular BabyCenter name two years running. The national
frontrunner for boys in 2013, Noah, ranks No. 5 on the BabyCenter
list.

Unlike the Social Security database, BabyCenter combines
identical-sounding names with alternate spellings under one
heading, so that Sofias count as Sophias. The names belong to
babies born to moms registered on BabyCenter in 2014.

The site identified some trends, finding that popular TV names
coincide with an uptick in real-life babies with those names —
though it's not always clear whether
parents are directly influenced by television or whether
television writers are just tapping into popular conventions when
naming their characters.

Names from the popular shows "Grey's
Anatomy" and "Scandal" rose in 2014, with the
names Arizona up 35 percent, Callie rising 30 percent and Owen
gaining 14 percent. Fitzgerald, the fictional U.S. president
on "Scandal," rose an impressive 56 percent, and Huck went
up 44 percent in popularity among BabyCenter moms this year.

Characters from the show "Nashville" also made a strong
showing, with Luke up 44 percent and Scarlett up 13 percent. The
boy's name Gunnar also went up 14 percent, perhaps reflecting the
overall rise in gun-related names such as Ruger, Colt and
Trigger. Over a 10-year period, gun names have risen in
popularity more than 500 percent on average, according to
baby name expert Laura Wattenberg.

Even subscription-streaming service Netflix seems to be tuned in
to what parents want. Garrett, Claire, Zoe and Remy, all
names from the Netflix show "House of Cards," have risen between
11 percent and 16 percent since 2013. Galina, Nicky, Piper, Larry
and Dayanara from "Orange is the New Black" may have
serious personal problems related to prison, but they can boast
popularity — all five names have risen in popularity in the
last year among BabyCenter users.